Principles of Management

Ian Graham's Blog on Operations & Innovation.

1 Introduction

Session Synopsis

Operations management is the design and control of the processes in organisations providing the product or service. Along with Marketing and Product Development, Operations forms one of the core functions which can be found in all organisations. The operations of an organisation usually represent a large proportion of total costs, a significant source of potential competitive advantage and pose dangers of organisational failure. Increasingly the day-to-day success of a process is embedded in the design of the process, so the design of processes is strategically important. Operations success may be measured against a range of performance objectives: cost, quality, flexibility and sustainability.

Session Objectives

be able to define Operations Management;

be able to relate the Operations function to other organisational functions;

be able to describe transformation/process model of operations;

be able to identify areas of choice in the selection of processes.

Text Book

Dr Ian Graham

Senior Lecturer in Operations Management at the University of Edinburgh Business School, Edinburgh, Scotland. This blog supports his teaching in operations management, innovation and quality management and provides background on his research in the sociology of standards and the management of operational risk.